Rau, Gerald. (2009). A New twist on "mystery boxes". The Science Teacher, 76(8), 30-35.
This article details a very simple activity that seems to be engaging for students, as well as helpful in explaining the scientific process. The Mystery Boxes used in this activity are easy to construct, cardboard boxes, with interesting objects inside. Students work in teams, and feel the objects inside the box, without being able to look. Students are asked to make several sets of observations, and inferences, and then are allowed to examine the object, and reach a conclusion as to what the team thinks it might be. This activity becomes useful within the science classroom, because it is effective in helping students discover the differences between observation and inference.Through the process of making observations, and inferences students become aware that an inference usually draws on background knowledge, whereas an observation in simply what is being taken in by the senses. Students also become acquainted with a type of scientific process that is not rigid and very step by step as is the scientific method they have been drilled on before. This free form process details how scientists often have to make several sets of observations, and draw many inferences before being able to determine what is going on in a certain situation of interest etc.
Overall, I feel that this activity is simple enough to set up, hands on, and seemingly very effective in allowing students to try out a different type of scientific process.
Rau, Gerald. (2009). A New twist on "mystery boxes". The Science Teacher, 76(8), 30-35.
This article details a very simple activity that seems to be engaging for students, as well as helpful in explaining the scientific process. The Mystery Boxes used in this activity are easy to construct, cardboard boxes, with interesting objects inside. Students work in teams, and feel the objects inside the box, without being able to look. Students are asked to make several sets of observations, and inferences, and then are allowed to examine the object, and reach a conclusion as to what the team thinks it might be. This activity becomes useful within the science classroom, because it is effective in helping students discover the differences between observation and inference.Through the process of making observations, and inferences students become aware that an inference usually draws on background knowledge, whereas an observation in simply what is being taken in by the senses. Students also become acquainted with a type of scientific process that is not rigid and very step by step as is the scientific method they have been drilled on before. This free form process details how scientists often have to make several sets of observations, and draw many inferences before being able to determine what is going on in a certain situation of interest etc.
Overall, I feel that this activity is simple enough to set up, hands on, and seemingly very effective in allowing students to try out a different type of scientific process.